Family Stories
by myimmortal1196
Summary: One day Shelby and William got a call from the local child service, and their whole life changed. From now on they were supposed to take care of five kids, whose mother had passed away recently. Follow them through their experience with twelve years old Finn, the twins Noah and Rachel, both six years old, the two and a half years old Blaine and infant Kurt who is just two weeks old
1. Welcome home

It was a rainy Thursday afternoon when Shelby and William arrived at the local child service's office in Lima, Ohio. Only three days earlier, they got a call that five new orphans need a foster family. "I'm glad you made it that quick over here." Emma, their assigned social worker, greeted them as they entered the building. "How are the kids? Are they fine? I mean they lost their mother just a week ago." Will asked concerned. "They seem fine by now. Most of them are quite too young to understand what happened. And Finn, the oldest, well he seems okay, but of course, he is now very protective of his younger siblings." Emma explained while handing the couple the contract to sign. "So their mum passed away after giving birth. But are there no relatives, like grandparents, aunt, uncle or a dad?" Shelby asked, struggling to sign the contract in front of her. "Unfortunately not. The woman came with all her kids to the hospital to gave birth to her fifth child. And we have no information about a possible father for the kids. So they're unfortunately on their own." Shelby listened carefully to the red-haired woman in front of her. After a small nod, she signed the contract without hesitation.

Emma left the office for a while to pick up the kids from the waiting area. Three kids who were holding hands entered the room first, followed by Emma with a toddler on her hip and a car seat in the other hand. Will moved first. He kneeled in front of the kids, complimenting the smaller boy's shoes, which flashed in red and blue with every step. Shelby strolled over to Emma and welcomed the toddler in her arms. Emma stepped back and gave them some time to get to know each other. The kids soon started to feel comfortable around the two adults, so Shelby and Will shared a look, nodding at each other. "Well, then it's time to go home now," Will announced, picking Shelby's and his coats up. Once everyone was settled safely in the car, Will started the engine, ready to drive his new family home.

Shelby and Will smiled at each other, knowing that they had done the right thing when the three older kids explore the house. And by now they didn't even have seen their new rooms. The house was huge. On the ground floor was the large living room with a cosy fireplace and a big flat screen tv on the wall, leading to the open kitchen/dining area. The floor to ceiling glass front leads into the beautiful backyard with a sitting area, where almost every weekend during summer a BBQ garden party was hosted by Shelby and William. The big pool was already closed up for the upcoming winter. A white wooden door in the hallway led to Shelby's and William's office. Both were teachers at McKinley High school, Shelby teaches English and music, while Will was a Spanish and Maths teacher.

On the upper floor were all the bedrooms and a laundry room. The master bedroom had an ensuite and a walk-walk-in closet, which is mostly Shelby's closet. William just got two shelves, but luckily all of his clothes fit in. The other bedrooms were redecorated by William and Shelby during the past three days. They had spent so many time with creating three lovely rooms for their kids. The twins, Rachel and Noah, will share their place for now, but when they grew older, one of them will move into one of the remaining guestrooms. Same with the infant named Kurt, who will stay in the master bedroom with Shelby and Will.

Soon the kids started to feel comfortable in their new home and played some board games, which the adults had bought for them. Blaine the toddler, who was almost two and a half, happily bumped stacking blocks against each other in his playpen. Kurt was sleeping against Shelby's chest after it took him nearly two hours to finish his bottle. Shelby already knew that this is going to be a rough night because Kurt seems like he doesn't like to get bottle-feed. "Dinner is ready," announced William while he walked over to Shelby and placed a kiss on her temple. "Okay, kids, you heard daddy. Go and wash your hands. We'll wait at the table for all of you." Finn took the initiative and took his two younger siblings to the bathroom to help them wash their hands.

Meanwhile, Shelby put Kurt into the playpen and picked Blaine up to take him over into his highchair. Rachel came back first and climbed into the chair next to Shelby. "Look, all clean." She stretched her hands towards Shelby and smiled happily. "Very well. Do you like apple juice or water?" asked Shelby while pouring some juice into Blaine's sippy cup. "Juice please." Rachel grabbed her cup and handed it over to Shelby. Noah and Finn entered the dining area soon after and took the chairs on each side of William's chair, who sat opposite of Shelby. They hadn't eaten dinner at the table for a while. It was more common for Shelby and Will to have dinner in their office while preparing their classes.

When dinner was over, Blaine had covered himself in mashed potatoes from head to toe, even Shelby's shirt had some marks on it after Blaine decided to wipe his hands on her shoulder. So now she had to bath him while William cuddled with the other kids on the couch while they watch a Disney movie. The toddler had so much fun during his bath. He splashed his little chubby hands into the water, giggling if Shelby was hit by it. "Can I have a bath too?" Shelby turned her head slightly to see Rachel in the doorway, one of her new PJ's under her arm. "Do you wanna join Blaine? Or do you wanna have your bath after him?" asked Shelby. "Can I have mine with Blaine?" the small brown-haired girl asked back and started to strip down her clothes. "Carefully!" warned Shelby as Rachel climbed into the bathtub while holding onto Shelby's shoulder.

William stopped at the doorway of the ensuite to capture the picture that was offered to him. Shelby sat on the floor in a puddle, Rachel and Blaine were splashing water around, trying to get Shelby even wetter than she already was. "Do you need some help with these two little monsters?" He asked with a smirk on his face. "If you can get a new diaper and some PJ's for Blaine would be nice." A few minutes later, Will was back with the required things. "I'll go back downstairs. Call me if you need some more help, okay?" He kissed Shelby gently. "And you two, be a little nicer to mommy, okay? She may get sick if you continue splashing water around the bathroom."

The kids played some more minutes in the bathtub before Shelby lifted Blaine and started to dry him off. Shelby added more warm water to the tub while she dressed Blaine so that Rachel won't get cold. "Do you want me to wash your hair after I put Blaine into bed?" Rachel nodded in excitement. "Okay, I'll be back soon." Luckily the toddler was already dozed off against Shelby's chest as she walked over to the nursery. Shelby stayed in the room for a couple of minutes to made sure Blaine was fast asleep before she turned on the baby phone and left the room. Rachel was still in the bathtub, playing with some of the toys which were in there. "Okay Rach, can you lean back against my hand?" asked Shelby gently after kneeling next to the tub. The girl slowly leaned back, a little scared that she might slip. "Don't be scared, Rachel. I got you." Shelby placed her hand against the small girl's neck while she let the warm water ran above the girl's hair. "Which shampoo do you like more?" Shelby held two bottles of shampoo in front of Rachel. She smelled on both before she shrugged. "What is your favourite?" She asked.

Without hesitation, Shelby put some of her favourite Shampoo on her hand and massaged it into the girl's hair. "Lean back again so I can rinse your hair," commanded Shelby after the hair was shampooed well enough. But Rachel shook her head. "So do you want to keep the shampoo in your hair?" Shelby raised an eyebrow. The girl shook her head. "But the shampoo is going to burn in my eyes, isn't it? It always did when mommy washed my hair." Rachel started crying. "Hey, baby. I'm going to make sure that there will no shampoo get in your eyes. I promise." Shelby said as she wiped some of the girl's tears way. "Do you trust me?" Rachel mustered Shelby for a second before she nodded slowly. Shelby rinsed the girl's hair carefully and did a fantastic job of keeping the shampoo away from the girl's eyes. "Was it that bad?" Rachel shook her head. "See, I told you. Now let's get you dry off and then I'll braid your hair if you like."

After Rachel put her PJ on, Shelby placed her on the large bed and started to comb the girl's hair carefully. "Did your mommy, braided your hair sometimes?" She asked gently. "The girl's head dropped slightly. "Not often. Mostly she was bussy with Blaine or Noah caused some trouble." the girl said in a sad voice. "I can do your hair every day if you like." offered Shelby and earned a bright smile from her. When Shelby finished Rachel's braid, it was nearly 10 pm. "Time to go to sleep, isn't it?" she asked while picking the girl up. She was definitely smaller than an average girl of her age. "But I'm not at all tired!" She protested but failed to hide her yawn. "Nope, definitely not tired." Shelby joked and placed Rachel on her bed. "Be right back." Shelby left Rachel to went downstairs to get the other kids ready for bed.

"Hey sleepyheads, time to go to bed." She woke the boys, who already fell asleep on the couch. Noah wasn't pleased with be wake up by Shelby. "Oh, come here, baby." Cooed Shelby while she picked Noah up. "When did Kurt had his last bottle?" Shelby asked William, who still cuddled with the baby. "Maybe an hour and a half ago? But he didn't drink much. I'll prepare a new bottle for him. Maybe you'll have a lucky hand on this." Shelby nodded in agreement before she walked back upstairs to change Noah into his Pj and put him to bed, together with Rachel. Finn followed Shelby upstairs.

"Do you want me to check on you after I'm done with these two?" She asked gently. "Can... can I say good night to them too?" He stuttered and gave Shelby an uncertain look. "Sure, I mean they're your siblings. You can always say good night to them. You don't have to ask for permission." Shelby opened the door of the twins' room and let Finn enter it first. He walked slowly over to Rachel, who was reading a book she found on a shelf while she waited for Shelby to come back.

"Hey, Rachie. You're okay?" He asked and sat down next to his little sister. "Yeah. She did my hair. Do you see it?" She showed her braid proudly to Finn. "Wow, it looks amazing." He said honestly and hugged Rachel. "She said she could do my hair every day!" Rachel sounded so proud as she told Finn about it. But her expression changed quick. "Do you think mommy is mad at me that I told her that mommy often was too busy with Blaine or Noah and so she hadn't much time to do my hair?" She asked, sadly. "I don't think so. I think mommy knew already that she had spent more time with Noah and Blaine than with the two of us. She always told me that she was so sorry about that. But stop worrying about this. It's going to change from now on. William and Shelby are different than Mommy and Brad." Finn hugged her again. "I promise it'll change. But now go to sleep. It's pretty late, little sis." He placed a kiss on top of her head. "I love you, Rachie." He whispered. "Love you too, Finny!" She whispered back. When they pulled apart, Shelby walked over to them. "Ready to go to sleep?" She asked Rachel, and the girl nodded. "Shall I read you a short story?" She asked as she took the book from the girl's lap. "Oh, yes, please! Finny? Will you stay for the story?" She begged her older brother. "Sure, why not." He shrugged. So Shelby climbed into the girl's bed and rested her back against the wall. Rachel snuggled herself at Shelby's side so the woman could pull her arm easily around the girl's body. Finn sat down next to Shelby and listened to the story Shelby was reading to Rachel. Through the tale, Finn felt more comfortable around Shelby, so he soon found himself rested against her shoulder. "And they all lived happily ever after." Shelby ended the story and glanced over to Finn. The boy was fast asleep against her shoulder. Shelby moved slowly out of bed, trying not to wake both of the kids. She made sure both kids lay comfy in bed before she left the room.

"Everyone asleep?" Will asked as Shelby entered the bedroom. "Yeah, they were all exhausted. Didn't take long 'till they'd fall asleep." After Shelby put on her sleeping shirt, she climbed into her side of the bed and inched closer to William, who handed Kurt over to her. "I tried to feed him again while you were busy with the others. But he didn't drink at all." Shelby leaned her back against the headboard as she took the baby from Will and held it close to her chest. The baby instantly started to suckle at Shelby's shirt. "Hey little man, unfortunately, that's not going to work." She chuckled and moved the baby away from her chest to bottle-fed him. But as soon as Shelby put the bottle close to the baby's mouth, he turned his head away and started to wail. Shelby put the bottle away and moved the baby back on her chest. They had to find a solution for this soon.


	2. Chapter 2

The second day wasn't quite as peaceful as the first day. William decided to made pancakes for breakfast, but Finn, Noah, and Rachel didn't seem to like them, told by the mostly untouched pancakes remaining on their plates. Shelby finally managed Kurt to feed at least for a few minutes from his bottle. It wasn't much, but it was at least a beginning from where they can improve. And after spending the whole night on the couch in the living room with a crying baby in her arms, Shelby was pleased to see the baby sleeping peacefully in his bassinet.

William left the house after breakfast to meet with the principals of Finn and the twins, while Shelby stayed at home with the kids. Rachel, Noah, and Finn played some games together, paying no attention to Shelby, who sat on the couch, reading a child book to Blaine. But the slice of lemon from Shelby's tea was much more interesting for the toddler. It was too sweet to watch the toddler's facial expression while he tried to eat the lemon. But the quietness this morning didn't hold for long.

When Finn won the memory, his little sister got angry and threw a terrible tantrum.  
"You're mean, Finny! I was supposed to win!" she whined while she hit him consistently on the shoulder. When Finn shoved her off a bit too harsh, of course, Rachel had to fell backward and hit her head at the coffee table, which made her cry even more. Shelby was by her side as quickly as possible to calm the girl.  
"Finn, why did you push her? She could have got hurt!" She yelled at him.  
"She hit me several times! I didn't mean to push her against the table!" Finn yelled back, not understanding why now it was his fault.  
"Hey, stop yelling at me. Say sorry to your sister and then stay in your room upstairs until I call you. And think about shoving your siblings!" Shelby demanded, her voice strict, leaving no room for discussion.  
"What? That's not fair! You yelled at me too!" He complained.  
"I know, Finn. And I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have yelled at you. But now, please go upstairs and think about your misbehavior. You hurt your sister, and that's wrong." Shelby explained again, much calmer than before.  
"But... urgh fine." Finn stormed upstairs, slamming the door behind him.

Shelby sighed and rested her back against the coffee table, still trying to calm Rachel, who was crying for her mommy.  
"Shh baby, it's okay." The woman whispered into the little girl's ear, rocking her back and forth.  
"When do you bring us back to our mommy?" Rachel whined after she calmed a little.  
"Oh baby, it's not that easy. Your mommy isn't here anymore." Shelby explained, noticing the girls frown.  
"Mommy left? Why? Where did she go?" There were so many questions inside the little girl's head.  
"Look, Rachie. Sometimes people have to leave this world earlier than others. But your mommy is now in a better place. She has now her little cloud up in the sky, watching you and your siblings every day."  
Noah, who set the memory up for a second turn, gave Shelby a curious look. "Mommy, is not coming back?" He asked with a sad voice. Shelby shook her head and reached her hand out for the small boy to pull him onto her lap too.  
"Your mommy got sick when she got Kurt. The doctors at the hospital tried to help her, but they couldn't." Shelby quickly blinked her tears away. This whole situation reminded her so much of her childhood. A part of her life she tried to forget. "So Emma, the friendly woman who picked you up from the hospital, asked William and me if we could take care of you from now on," Shelby explained further.  
"But... but all our stuff is at mommy's place!" Rachel realized, her eyes widening in shock. "My dolls! I want my dolls back!" She cried.  
"Shhh, It's okay. We'll figure something out to get all your stuff here, okay? We just need some time, okay?"  
"My toys too?" Noah asked, and Shelby nodded in response. The whimpers of Kurt filled the room all of a sudden.  
"Do you two want to draw a little picture?" Shelby asked as she picked Kurt up. "As I recall, Rachel, you have to apologize to Finn later." The little girl looked at Shelby with big brown eyes.  
"But he made me lose the game!" protested the girl, stomping her foot on the floor.  
"But that is no reason for you to hit him several times. We don't hit other people. Never." Shelby explained to Rachel. "Did you understand?" She asked and looked at the small girl. Rachel nodded slowly while avoided eye contact with Shelby.

When Will came home, he found Shelby in the kitchen, preparing lunch while Kurt was sleeping peacefully against her chest in a baby sling. The twins sat at the dining table, still drawing their pictures. Rachel's drawing included a lot of Shelby's beloved golden star-shaped stickers.  
"Hi, honey. I'm home. How was your morning?" He asked while stepping behind Shelby and kissed her cheek. Shelby sighed and leaned into William.  
"Quite stressful. Rachel and Finn got in a fight after losing a game they were playing. I think I messed it up." Shelby said, covering her face with her hands.  
"Hey, it's okay, Shel. I'm sure you did the right things." William tried to calm her, but Shelby shook her head.  
"I didn't. I yelled at Finn and sent him upstairs. Now he locked himself up in his room."  
"Hey, it's okay. He'll come around. Don't be that harsh to yourself. You did what you thought was best. And I think that's the trick. There is no right or wrong in parenting. We're just trying to do what's best for the kids." William pulled her in a hug and kissed her cheek again and again.  
"Okay, stop it!" Shelby giggled and shoved him away slightly. "Went everything, alright?" She asked him.  
"Yeah. They can attend back to school as soon as we feel they are ready for it." Shelby nodded at William's explanation.  
"I think we shouldn't keep them this long from school. Maybe it'll help them, and us, to go back to normality. You know, have something to do, seeing friends, doing all the things they're used to do." She explained her thoughts.  
"Yeah, I think you're right, Shelbs. We also need a daycare for Blaine and Kurt later. Or do - do you want to stay at home with them?" William asked, unsure about her decision. He knew how much Shelby love her job, but he could also tell how much she already loves these two little boys. They twisted her already around their little fingers in this short time they are living with them.  
"I don't know. Maybe I take parental leave and start teaching again in summer. I'll talk with Figgins on Monday about that." Shelby said while turning around to face the table. "Time to clean up. Lunch is almost ready."  
"But I'm not done, yet!" whined Rachel.  
"You can finish it after lunch, Rachie. Just put it away for now, okay?" William said and helped the kids cleaning up the table.  
"I'll go upstairs and see if I can get Finn downstairs for lunch."

Shelby needed to took a few deep breaths before she knocked at Finn's door.  
"Leave me alone!" The boy yelled from inside.  
"Finn, please. Just open the door, please." Shelby sighed. This parenting thing definitely wasn't easy. But after a few seconds, she heard how he unlocked the door.  
"What do you want?" Finn snapped.  
"Finn, stop that, please. As I said earlier, I didn't mean to yell at you. And I'm sorry I did it in the first place. To be honest, I just was overstrained with this whole situation. It was happening so much in such a short time. And I didn't know what to do first." Shelby explained, hoping the boy would understand her a little. "I know this all is still new and unfamiliar to all of us. We all have to learn so much about each other. Learn to live together. And all this is not happening without making mistakes. I will make mistakes, William will do some too. We all will. And that's okay as long as we can forgive each other if someone made a mistake."  
Finn looked at the taller brunette who sat on his bed. "Are you... are you still mad at me?" He asked, unsure.  
Shelby smiled at him. "No, I'm not mad at you. I talked to Rachel earlier. She now knows it wasn't right to hit you. And I will make sure she'll apologize for this." Shelby stood up and held her hand out for the boy. "Lunch is ready. Do you want to join us?" She asked, waiting for the boy's response.  
He nodded. "Sure. Uhm... can... can I see a friend in the afternoon?" He asked while looking at his feet.  
"Sure, you can. We planned to go to the playground this afternoon. You can see your friends there, or we can drop you off on the way there if you prefer this." Shelby suggested to him. "Let's go downstairs before they finished lunch without us."

On their way downstairs, Shelby heard the doorbell. William quickly passed the hallway and opened the door. "Mother? What are you doing here?" Shelby's eyes widened in shock. The last person she wanted to see right now was her lovely mother-in-law, Terri Schuester.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello everyone,_

_I hope you enjoy the new chapter. I finally started to work through Finn & co's back story. There will be more in the next chapter.  
I know I'm right now a little focused on Shelby's and William's relationship with Finn, Rachel and Kurt. I'll try to give Noah and Blaine some special moments with them too. _

_Just a little additional information: Shelby is 38 and William 41_

_Edit: Spawn: thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate you sharing your opinion on each chapter with me. __Looking forward to read you again soon._

* * *

_"Mother? What are you doing here?"_

"Am I not allowed to visit my son?" Terri asked, shocked.  
"Sure, you allowed. But usually, you call before visiting." Will told her while stepping aside to let her in. "We're about having lunch. Are you hungry too?" He asked his mom while putting her coat away.  
"No, thanks. What do you have for lunch?" Terri asked while examining the basket with clean clothes on the floor.  
"Just some pasta. Shelby and I were rather busy this morning. I came back from my meetings just half an hour ago." William explained while he leads his mom into the kitchen. "Oh yeah, your wife must be very busy if she didn't even find the time to fold your clothes." Shelby entered the kitchen right in time, not to miss her mother-in-law's sarcastic comment.  
"Kurt is sleeping upstairs," Shelby informed William while she walked over to Blaine's playpen to pick the toddler up. Terri watched her closely, now noticing the other kids in the room. She sighed.  
"Don't tell me that this is the life you dreamed of? Raising neglected children with a wannabe Broadway star. Honestly, William, you deserve better than this." That's why Shelby hated her mother-in-law so much. She didn't even try to hide her dislike toward Shelby.  
"Mom, stop it, please. It's not the right time and place to put up a fight." William knows his mom, and he knew Shelby. Both can't be in the room together for too long without starting an argument.  
"No, I will not stop, William! You know that Shelby is not suitable for you! When will you realize this?" William felt his anger rising.  
"Okay, mom, Enough! Either you behave yourself and stop mocking Shelby, or I'll have to ask you to leave! It's up to you, mom." William demanded.  
"William, don't you dare speak like this to me, I'm still your mother. Even if you're 41 years old." William thought for a second if he responds to this, but he decided otherwise.  
"So why are you here, Mom?" He asked, emphasizing the word mom. Terri started to shift uneasily.  
"Uhm well, sometimes it's pretty rough between Tom and me." She sniffed.  
"Wait, are you going to say you and Tom broke up, and he threw you out?" William asked his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
"He was so mean to me, said a lot of nasty things. But you must believe me, Will. I never cheated on him!" William knew his mother always had a very extended love life. Back in his early childhood, he already had to call five men 'dad'. In his teen years, there were three more before she finally met Tom and married him immediately. It seemed like his mother finally settled, but apparently not.  
"So, where are you staying now?" William asked her.  
"Uhm, I thought I-I could stay here for a while?" Shelby's eyes grew wide in shock. She was listening to this whole conversation while she helped Blaine eating his pasta.  
"Honestly, mom. I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, we got those kids two days ago, we still must rearrange our daily routines. I'm afraid that all this will be too much." Terri gasped in shock.  
"You... you are going to throw me out? Let your mother become homeless?" Will knew how dramatic his mother could be.  
"Of course, I don't let you become homeless. We can pay for your hotel room or something like this. But I don't know if it's good if you are staying here with us." Terri didn't like this suggest.  
"Will, look. I know I screwed up in the past. But doesn't everybody deserve a second chance?" She glanced over to Shelby with sorry eyes.  
"Fine. You can stay in the guestroom downstairs for now. But we have to discuss this later." William made eye contact with Shelby, who just shook her head and walked out of the room, carrying a sleepy Blaine on her hip.

"When we go to the park?" Noah asked impatiently.  
"Later, buddy. Blaine and Kurt first need a little nap. But after that, we go to the park. I promise." William kneeled in front of the boy. "Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked the three older kids.  
"Yeah! Movie!" The little boy yelled in excitement, running over to the big couch and made himself comfortable there. Will put on some Disney movie before he turned towards his mother again.  
"I can tell, Shelby is not happy with you staying here, mom, you know this too. I'll go upstairs and talk to her. Maybe you can stay for a couple of days. But I can't promise anything." Terri nodded in response.  
"Thank you." She whispered. William entered their bedroom carefully, finding Shelby standing next to Kurt's bassinet, watching him sleep peacefully.  
"How long will she stay here?" Shelby asked quietly.  
"I don't know. Maybe a couple of days?" William shrugged. "I know you're not fond of this. But I promise I will keep her under control." Shelby turned around to face William.  
"Sure, like you always had promised to me. Your mother hates me, and she won't hesitate to show it every single day she's been staying here." She snorted. "Three days and she's out of the house, William," Shelby added with a firm voice, passing William, to went downstairs with a hamper full of dirty clothes.

Later this afternoon, the little family took the short walk over to the park. On their way, they drop Finn at his friend's house.  
"Mrs. Corcoran? Uhm... hi?" A shocked Frannie Fabray opened the door.  
"Hi, Frannie. Could I talk to your mom for a second?" Shelby asked politely.  
"Honestly, Mrs. Corcoran. I'm sorry for copying my essay from Rose. I will write my own essay at the weekend. I'll hand it in on Monday before my first period. I promise. But please don't tell my mom. I beg you!" Frannie looked at her teacher with fear.  
"Frannie, dear. Who is at the door?" Judy Fabray asked as she pokes her head through the kitchen door. As she spotted Shelby, she stepped up next to her daughter while drying her hands with a dishtowel.  
"Mrs. Corcoran. How can I help you?" She shook Shelby's hand.  
"Well, long story short, Finn asked if he could visit a friend, your daughter Quinn. So here we are." Judy's jaw dropped as she spotted Finn next to the woman opposite her.  
"Sure. Quinn is upstairs. I think she'll be happy to see you, Finn." She led the boy upstairs.  
"We'll pick you up later, Finn. Have fun!" said Shelby before he entered the house.  
"So you are taking care of the kids now?" Judy asked after a few seconds of silence.  
"Yeah. They came into our care on Thursday. Did you know their mom well?" Shelby asked shy.  
"I used to. We shared a room in the hospital after giving birth. We had a few playdates later when the kids were a little older." Judy explained.  
"What-what happened?" Shelby was sure that something happened, so the two women grew apart.  
"Well, Carole, she met people who weren't good for her. They forced her into a business I didn't want to deal with. So, I broke the contact. But Finn was always allowed to come over to play with Quinn. I couldn't punish that poor boy for his mother's mistakes." The blonde woman shrugged. "But I'm glad the kids have a stable home from now on." Shelby nodded slowly.  
"Thank you. We'll try our best to give those kids the life they deserve. I don't know under which circumstances they had to grow up. But how they explored our house - I don't know - It seemed like they never had that much space for their own before. I should go now. It seems like someone is a little impatient." Shelby chuckled as she watched William wrestle with Noah, who tried to escape Will's grip. "See you later." The blonde woman waved goodbye before she closed the door.

When they arrived back home, a slightly burnt scent filled the house.  
"Oh, please no," Shelby whispered to herself. Finn, Noah and Rachel went upstairs to play in their room, while Shelby and William put the two little ones, who fell asleep on their way back, into their beds. When they entered the living room/kitchen area, Terrie looked at them in surprise.  
"Oh, you're back. I didn't expect you this early. How was your trip to the park?" She asked while stirring something in a pot. "I hope you don't mind. I started cooking dinner already. It's potato soup." She told them proudly. "Oh, and Shelby, I put on the second load of laundry. It should be done soon." Terrie really tried to be kind to Shelby this time.  
"Sure, thanks. I'll look." Shelby went into the laundry room to check the washing machine. "Uhm, Terrie? Where did you put my purple cashmere sweater? I left it in an empty basket." Shelby asked as she didn't spot her beloved sweater. She was sure she put it there to give it a hand wash later.  
"Well, I put it in the washing machine with the other clothes," Terrie answered as she entered the laundry room. Shelby closed her eyes and counted to ten before she responded.  
"It's a cashmere sweater. It's supposed to hand wash only. Thanks for ruining it." Said so, Shelby left the laundry room and hid in her office. Terrie turned around to face William.  
"Why is she so overdramatic? It's a fucking sweater!" She raged.  
"For Shelby, it's not just a sweater. It was a gift from her mother." William explained.  
"Well, I'm sure her mother will gift her a new one for Christmas or her birthday." Terrie shrugged. She still didn't get why Shelby was so devastated because of this sweater.  
"Her mom is dead. She died twenty years ago from cancer. Almost eight years later, Shelby was diagnosed with uterus cancer." It was a rough time for Shelby and William after the diagnose. Shelby's cancer was too severe, and it was too late for chemotherapy. The only way to survive this was emergency surgery to remove her womb and ovaries.  
"Shelby had cancer? Why you didn't tell me?" Terrie was shocked.  
"We told you, Mom. Maybe you forgot it while you were raging about us missing your 53rd birthday." Terrie looked at William in shock. She remembered that phone call she got all those years ago. He told her that Shelby wasn't fine and that she was in the hospital. She should have listened more carefully. But instead of support both during this time, Terrie started to blame Shelby for the lack of grandbabies.  
"Am I really this terrible as a mother-in-law? I didn't care about Shelby's sickness and insulted her for not having babies. She really must hate me." Terrie finally realized the mistakes she has done in the past. "Will she ever forgive me?" She asked William.  
"I don't know, Mom. We'll see. But I'm glad you realized your mistakes. Now you can change something, to never let that happen again." William reassured her.

"Can I have some yoghurt, please?" The two adults turned around as the small girl spoke to them.  
"Oh, I don't think so, little girl. We have dinner soon." Terrie cooed, smiling at the brown-haired girl.  
"Please!" She pouted and looked at the adults with watery eyes. William picked Rachel up and sat her on the kitchen counter.  
"Okay, Rachel. But just a tiny bit. As my Mommy told you, we have dinner soon." He told the girl and nudged her nose before he prepared a small bowl of strawberry yoghurt.  
Once he was done, William carried Rachel and the bowl to the kitchen table and placed the bowl in front of the girl. Rachel started immediately to scoop the yoghurt into her mouth. The whole time the sound of a piano filled the room. Rachel liked that sound and sat down next to the stereo, and completely forgot her now half-empty bowl of yoghurt on the table. She was utterly enchanted by the music, trying to regulate the volume. William watched the girl with a bright smile on his face. He knows precisely that the sound didn't come from the stereo. So, he walked over to Rachel and picked her up again.  
"No, please. I want to listen!" She protested and fidgeted in his arm to escape. But she stopped as she looked at Shelby sitting at the piano playing 'Ballade pour Adeline'. As Shelby finished, she turned around and smiled at Rachel.  
"I didn't notice I got some audience." She chuckled. "Did you like it?" Rachel nodded shyly. The small girl was still amazed that there was a piano in this house. Why hadn't she found it earlier? Rachel had seen a piano earlier, in the mall with her mom. But she wasn't allowed to touch it or even got close to it. And now she was face to face with such an amazing instrument. She reached out to touch the piano. But then she remembered what her mommy had told her about the piano in the mall. Shelby noticed the girls internal struggle, so she patted on the empty spot next to her.  
"Come here, Rachel. I can show you how to play the piano if you like this." For the next half an hour, Shelby showed Rachel some basics, and the small girl was able to play a simple child song at the end.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday morning was quite stressful for William and Shelby. On some mornings, they already struggled to coordinate themselves, and now they had to get three kids ready for school on time too. Shelby had a few meetings ahead today. The first one was with her boss at 9 am. It didn't take long, and Shelby was able to get a year's parental leave and then return to a part-time job. But two times a week, she still coached her show choir. Right now, they're preparing for the upcoming Sectionals.

The next meeting was with a daycare, recommended by Emma. Shelby thought a lot about keeping both Kurt and Blaine at home. But maybe it would be too difficult to keep the little ones occupied the whole day. And on the other hand, it would help Blaine to gain some social skills. There wasn't a free spot yet for Blaine. But Mrs. July put them on the waiting list and promised to contact them as soon as a place was available.

The last meeting of the day was with Dr. Johnson. Kurt still had issues with bottle feeding, even though they already tried different formulas and bottle types.

"Hello, Mrs. Corcoran. You called me earlier this day. So, how can I help you?" The older woman, with already greyish hair, looked at Shelby over the rim of her glasses. "Well, it's my little one, Kurt. He and his siblings came into our care on Thursday. Their mum passed away while giving birth to him. And yeah, he uhm he didn't take his bottles properly. We already tried different types of formulas and stuff like this. But he still didn't take it. Is there something else we can try?" Shelby asked the doctor in front of her.  
"Well, there are a few things we can try. But I'm not sure if you are willing to take this step. Not many foster moms are ready for this. But let me first ask a question. Does Kurt show interest in breastfeeding?" Shelby nodded slowly.  
"Yeah. Yeah, he does. From the first night on, he nuzzled into my shirt, searching for my nipples. And to be honest, it is heartbreaking for me not to be able to give him what he wants and maybe even needs." Dr. Johnson nodded insightfully at Shelby's explanation and started rummaging in the cabinets behind her.  
"Ah, there we go." She said as she pulled a small package out of the cabinet. "It's called the supplemental nursing system, or short SNS." Dr. Johnson explained while she opened the box. "The usage is effortless. You put the formula in this bag and attach the small tube to your breast. The rest is up to the little one." Shelby nodded at the explanation of Dr. Johnson while she looked at Kurt, who was sleeping in his car seat.  
"Thanks, Dr. Johnson, we'll try this." Shelby thanked the older woman with a big smile.  
"If you talk to your gynecologist about this, he can prescribe you some hormone pills for induced lactation. It will happen naturally, without the hormones, through the feeding with the SNS. The pills simply speed up the whole process."  
Both women were interrupted by Blaine, who smashed a tower of stacking blocks.  
"Bue!" Blaine babbled as he offered Shelby a blue stacking block.  
"What?" Shelby was a little off-hand as Blaine talked to her. Actually, it was the first time the toddler spoke directly to someone.  
"Bue!" repeated Blaine happily.  
"Yeah, it's blue." Shelby chuckled as she took the block from the toddler's hand.

After the doctor's appointment, Shelby made a quick stop at Walmart for some grocery shopping. Blaine was babbling happily to Shelby, occasionally reaching for some items on the shelves.  
"Nanas!" He screamed excited as they reached the fruit section, pointing at the typical yellow fruit.  
"Shall we buy some?" Shelby cooed at the toddler before grabbing a bundle of bananas. It took them almost two hours to finish their shopping trip, and Shelby ended up with two full shopping carts. For the first time in her life, Shelby was happy to have a Range Rover with such a big trunk.

When Shelby arrived at the twin's school to pick them up, Noah and Rachel were already waiting on the schoolyard, playing with some other kids. A teacher was supervising all the kids while they were waiting for their parents to pick them up. Rachel spotted her foster mom and two little brothers first. As the twins were walking towards Shelby, they seem like they have a serious argument.  
"Hey, sweeties, how was your school day?" Shelby asked them as they stopped in front of her.  
"Mrs. Miller handed back our math test. I got an A!" the small brunette told happily, earning a death glare from her twin brother.  
"Well done, Rachel!" Shelby praised her as she stored the twins' backpacks in the trunk as well. "And you?" She turned around and asked Noah, who looked immediately down at his shoes and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, okay. Get inside the car, please." Shelby said after a second of silence. The whole drive back home, Noah and Rachel angrily glared at each other.  
"I begged you not to tell them!" Noah whispered, angry.  
"They would have found out sooner or later anyway," Rachel answered in a hushed voice.  
"You promised, Rachie!" Noah said and shoved her slightly. "Noah!" The small girl complained while hitting her brother.  
"You hurt me!" It didn't take long, and both were wrestling with each other. Shelby watched the whole scenario through the rear mirror occasionally.  
"Stop it! Both of you!" She scolded as the noises from the backseat grew even more, and she caught Noah, pulling Rachel's hair. "When we're home, both of you will have a five-minute time out!"  
The twins looked at each other in shock. Their mommy never gave them a time out. What does a time out mean? Does it hurt? There were so many questions. And nobody could answer them now.

As soon as they arrived home, Shelby led the kids into the kitchen and put two chairs in the left and right corner of the room.  
"Rachel, go and sit over there," Shelby ordered and pointed to the chair in the right corner. "And you sit over there, Noah." She pointed towards the left corner. "Hitting your siblings is not okay. And I will not tolerate such behavior. Did you understand?" The twins nodded slowly. "Good. Timeout starts now. No moving and speaking for five minutes." Shelby explained while she set the timer on her phone. Afterward, she started to cut some fruit for the kids to snack on. Blaine was completely satisfied as Shelby placed a plate with a sliced banana in front of him.

"I'll never get any more timeouts. They are boring," said Noah, determined. These were the longest five minutes he had ever spend in his whole life.  
"It's time for your homework now," Shelby said after she put the chairs back at the table. The twins moaned in unison. "Homework is boring. Can't we play a game instead?" Noah asked with a cheeky grin on his face.  
"Well, uhm, let me think for a second," Shelby answered and pretended to overthink her previous order. "Nope." Noah sighed but plopped on a chair next to Rachel, starting his math homework. Shelby sat down on the opposite side of the table, with Blaine on her lap.

William arrived at home with Finn short after 4 pm. Rachel, who had already finished her homework, played happily with Blaine on the living room floor. By now, Shelby had changed places and sat next to Noah and tried to help with his homework without giving the answers straight away.  
"Hey honey, we're home." Will greeted Shelby with a gentle kiss on the cheek after she didn't notice them entered the house.  
"Oh, hey." Shelby greeted him. "Sorry I was somewhat busy. I didn't notice you entering the house at all. How was your day? Did something special happened?" Shelby asked after she gave William a proper kiss.  
"No, just the same as usual." He answered as he glanced over Shelby's shoulder to see what she and Noah were doing. "Oh, looks a bit difficult, eh?" He asked towards Noah.  
"It is. Can you help me? She's no help at all." The little boy complained and pointed towards Shelby, who tried to hide her laugh.  
"Okay, let's see." Will took the other chair next to Noah and started to help him through his homework.

After the dinner, Shelby went upstairs to give Kurt his first feed with the SNS. It took her almost fifteen minutes to figure out how to attach the tubes. Even with the manual, it wasn't that simple as the doc had explained. "Hold on, baby. Mommy's almost done." She cooed at the baby when he started crying. The feeling when Kurt finally latched on her breast was kind of strange. It wasn't hurtful, so Shelby might only need to get used to the feeling. "You enjoyed this, huh?" Shelby talked to the baby while she patted his back to let him burp. "Guess what, mommy liked it too. And I'll promise we'll get better at this." After they cuddled for a while, Shelby put the now sleeping baby in his crib and went back downstairs.

She joined William and the other kids on the couch after she had put Blaine to bed too. During the movie they watched, Rachel inched closer to Shelby and finally sitting on her lap. Shelby didn't say anything and just offered the girl the comfort she was looking for. After a while stroking the little girl's back, Shelby noticed her sobbings.  
"Hey, what's wrong, baby?" She asked gently.  
"Mr. Paddington, my plushie. I miss him!" Rachel complains.  
"Oh, Rachie. I know you miss your stuff. I'm already trying to get it back. But we have to be patient for a few more days." Shelby tried to explain. Emma, the social worker, had set up an appointment with the landlord for Thursday, to get the kids stuff.  
"But, I want him now!" The small brunette insists. "What if he is sad or hurt? He needs me!" Rachel was distraught that her favorite plushie wasn't with her. Would she had known that they would never return to her old house, the day Emma picked them all up, she definitely would have packed Mr. Paddington too. "Can't you go and get them now?" Rachel asked with a big pout.  
"Unfortunately not. Look, it's already dark outside. That means it's night, and we're not leaving the house during the night."  
"That's so unfair! Mommy always left the house during the night! Why you can't leave the house then too?" This was all so confusing for the little girl.  
"I'll get your stuff soon. I promise." Shelby told the girl and placed a kiss on her forehead.

When Shelby and Will went to bed later this night, they heard Blaine's voice through the baby phone.  
"Bue, geen, ed..." The toddler repeated the colors of his night light.  
"The instruction said that the slow color change would help to settle the baby. It seems not to work that well." Shelby said with a shrug before she left to settle the toddler again.

The following days went by smoothly and less packed. Shelby still hadn't figured out who would babysit Blaine and Kurt while she had the meeting with the landlord. Surely, she could take them with her, but in her opinion, it would be much easier and quicker if she and Emma, the social worker, went there alone. Of course, she and William had looked for a babysitter in the newspaper and some online forums, but honestly, Shelby just couldn't trust a stranger with her babies.

After she had put both boys to bed for their nap, Shelby settled in her office to prepare the next rehearsal with her glee club 'The Troubletones.' There were still a few things the kids had to work on until they would compete at Sectionals in November. But the ringing of the home phone was interrupting her work. "Hello?" She answered the call.  
"Shelby? Is it you? It's me, Terrie. Is William available?" Her mother in law asked.  
"Yeah, it's me. Who else are you expecting to pick up the phone when you called here?" Shelby frowned.  
"Uhm, I don't know? Maybe a maid, a babysitter, your fling?" Shelby could practically hear the smutty smirk on Terrie's face.  
"Nope, I'm home alone. William is at work, and the kids are at school. I bet there is a reason for your call? Can I give Will a message from you?" She asked as politely as possible and tried to avoid the urge to reply with a snappy comment.  
"Never mind, Shelby. I'm calling back later to speak to Will in person." The older woman replied and ended the call. After this short call, Shelby scolded herself by even thinking about asking Terrie to babysit the kids on Thursday.  
In the evening, William and Shelby discussed the babysitter topic again and concluded it would be best if William took a day off to stay home that day.

The landlord was already waiting for Emma and Shelby in front of the building. As they were walking down the halls, an older man was rushing towards the landlord, yelling at him.  
"Mr. Jefferson, finally, you're showing up here! Why are you avoiding my calls and emails? Aren't you interested in anything that happened here lately?" The landlord excused himself from the two women before he turned towards the older man.  
"Hello, Mr. Miller. I'm not avoiding you. I was just quite busy for the past couple of weeks. If it's that important to you, we can talk after I'm done here." The man looked over at Shelby and Emma.  
"Oh, I see. After that prostitute with that growing bunch of kids and these drug-addicted punks on the fifth floor, you're renting a flat to a lesbian couple?" He glared at Shelby and took a step towards her. "I dare you if you are signing this contract, I'm going to make your life a living hell here. That's a promise!" His voice was full of hate, and without looking back at the landlord, he shoved Emma aside and stomped down the hall.  
"Sorry about that." The landlord excused. "He's living here for like thirty years now and thinks he's ruling the building. He is calling the police for everything. Just last week, he reported someone whose dog pooped at the front yard, and the owner didn't clean it up straight away. He just went a little crazy after his wife died ten years ago, and he lost his job." Emma threw a pitiful look down the hall where the elder man vanished a few seconds ago. But Shelby didn't care about the senior's habits. Her thoughts were racing a thousand miles per hour. Was he talking about 'her kids' mother? Was their mom a prostitute? Got she pregnant from her customers? There were so many unanswered questions. And she knew she needs to get some answers to ease her mind.  
"Here we are. Flat 243," The landlord said as he unlocked the door. "Do you need any help here, or are you good by yourself?" He asked, politely.  
"No, thanks, we're fine here," Emma replied as Shelby was already looking around the flat.  
"Good. I'll check on you later. If you need me here, call me." The landlord said before he left the women alone.

A few hours later, as Shelby arrived back home, her car was filled with bags and boxes full of the kids' stuff. She took two boxes full of stuffed animals and tried to make her way from the car to the front door, which wasn't that easy as the boxes blocked her sight completely. "You couldn't wait 'till I help you, couldn't you?" William greeted her as he opened the door, surprisingly for Shelby, causing her almost a heart attack. "Stop scaring me!" She hissed at him. "Nope. It's just to much fun." Will retorted and kissed her cheek before he took one of the boxes from his wife. "Did you get everything?" Shelby nodded in response. "Yeah, I think so. I grabbed as much as I could. I also packed the photo albums and some framed pictures."

"Will? I need help!" Noah yelled from the kitchen.  
"Math homework" He mouthed towards Shelby before he walked back into the kitchen. Shelby followed him and placed the box on the kitchen counter.  
"What's inside this box?" Rachel asked curiously.  
"Come here and find out," Shelby answered and waved the small girl over. As Rachel stood in front of Shelby, she lifted the little girl and put her on top of the kitchen counter. Instantly Rachel started rummaging through the box.  
"You... our stuff. You went to get our stuff! Thank you!" Rachel threw herself into Shelby's arms. The taller brunette, who wasn't prepared, stumbled a few steps back.  
"I told you we would get your things, didn't I?" Rachel nodded against Shelby's chest.  
"Thank you!" Rachel mumbled several times. She still couldn't believe the woman had kept her promise. Her mommy always promised something but never kept it.  
"We can start unpacking your things when you finished your homework," Shelby suggested after she cuddled a while with Rachel.

"My mother called today," William told Shelby as they laid in bed together later that evening. "She invited us to her birthday party next month. I told her we're not sure if we're able to attend." He continued. "Oh, sure. She couldn't have asked me this." Shelby snorted. "What? Did she called earlier?" William asked, confused. "Yup. She said it was essential, and she needed to talk to you. As I told her you're not home yet, she insulted me and hung up." Shelby explained to William. He was about to retort as their bedroom door creaked while opened slowly.

"William?" Noah's whiney voice filled the room. "What's wrong, buddy?" Will asked as he flicked on his nightstand light. "I puked in my bed." The little boy cried. "Did your tummy started hurting again?" William asked as he picked the boy up on his lap and noticed the boys risen body temperature. Noah nodded sadly, still crying silently. "It's okay, buddy. Get comfy here, and I will get you something to make you feel better. I think you're coming down with something." Shelby lifted her covers for the boy to lay down next to her. Soon William was back with some Tylenol and a thermometer. Noah's temperature was at 102.3 F. After he took some Tylenol, the boy fell quickly asleep.

The next morning Noah felt still sick, so Shelby and William decided he was allowed to stay at home. Of course, Rachel wasn't happy about the fact that she had to attend school while Noah could remain at home.


End file.
